Weird-mageddon Oneshots
by Little Mockingjay
Summary: A series of speculative oneshots taking place during or after the final confrontation with Bill Cipher. Character-based stuff only, written throughout the releasing of the episodes. Hints of Dipifica, one-sided Wendip.
1. Ten Souls

Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.

 **Chapter One: Ten Souls**

It had started as a surprisingly normal day at the Mystery Shack. In fact, up to that point the last couple of days had been pretty quiet aside from Dipper and Mable going 'monster hunting' in the woods out of boredom, and returning with a pegasus foal. Having to fend off a pair of angry pegasus parents was a sight to behold, but aside from that, nothing of interest.

"Perpetrator!" Old man McGucket bellowed as if the word were some kind of battle cry, moving protectively in front of Dipper and Mable. The memory had struck his mind with force the instant he saw that man's face. Those Pines kids had done so much for him, they were his friends, and now he was keen to keep them safe.

From Ford.

"Perpetrator o' the end ti-i-imes!" he bellow madly, suddenly seeming every bit as insane as the twins had thought him during their first meeting. It was...unsettling.

For his part, Ford was stunned into silence. He had no idea of the extent the portal had driven him. Smart, sensible Fiddleford was reduced to some old, crazy-talking hobo? Was this what that infernal machine had done to him?

"Fiddleford?" he at last asked in a shocked whisper, the sheer guilt of everything crushing him in a wave as a horrible thought struck him; he caused his.

"Ya ain't getting ta my little buddies!" McGucket spoke with finality. When he began slapping, Ford casually moved out of the way so that McGucket was having a fight with a coat-rack. Seeing this odd little spectacle, Stan went over the one of the shack's main counters and pulled out a pair of glasses – the same pair he'd found in that strange spare room a while ago.

"Try this, old man." Stan said awkwardly, managing to slip the glasses on McGucket's face. He stopped slapping as his vision cleared up, clearer than it had been in years, but seeing Ford, he again stood protectively in front of the younger Pines twins.

"Stay back, kids! This man's dangerous!" McGucket growled.

"That's what I've been sayin'." Stan said.

"McGucket, wait." Mable finally spoke up and yanked his casted arm to get his attention. "He's our uncle."

"Eh?" McGucket asked, turning to them and looking confused. Dipper cleared his throat and stepped between them.

"Old Man McGucket? Gruncle Ford. Gruncle Ford, Old Man McGucket."

"They let that guy in here?" Robbie asked as Wendy rang up a small shirt with a question mark. Robbie was here to get a cheap gift for some out-of-state cousin of his who's birthday was coming up. Ss far as he knew, the kid was an even bigger nerd than Dipper, but his parents always insisted on this sort of thing. "And who's the new old guy?"

"McGucket?" Wendy asked. "He's no so bad. And as for Ford, Soos knows more than me about that."

"Dude, you want me to explain in detail?" Soos asked, pausing in his sweeping.

"Uh...I'm good." Robbie said shortly, feeling uncomfortable talking to the guy. Frankly, how Wendy could get along with such a weirdo was well beyond him.

"Your loss." Soos shrugged and went back to sweeping. "It's a very engaging story that explains so much."

Before anyone could process the sound of footsteps coming up the steps or the door knob turning, the door was yanked open and slammed shut in the span of two seconds. It was Pacifica – and she was looking frazzled. Her eyes were wide, she was panting and her back was pressed against the door as if she was desperately trying to keep something out.

"Pacifica!" Dipper and Mable gasped and ran over to her. They hadn't seen each other since the party; even with their fairly new friendship, she never stopped by the shack, so this little bit of strangeness caught their attention.

"Dipper! Mable." she huffed for breath, starting to calm down.

"Soos!" Soos chirped, earning himself looks from the other adults. When Pacifica was calm enough to speak clearly, she turned to Dipper.

"Dipper, that book of yours..." she said, still breathing a bit hard, "Is there anything in there about...a triangle with an eye?"

* * *

Nice start here? Remember, this isn't the full story, just snippets of scenes I envision; mostly character-based stuff. Review.


	2. Back To The Bunker

**Chapter Two: Back To The Bunker**

Soos and Wendy had almost forgotten about the bunker, although Dipper certainly remembered it and wasn't surprised when Ford shooed everyone in. He thought it was odd that Dipper insisted on bringing a pig and a goat with them, but it had not been the time for questions.

Things had calmed down in the hour since they took cover from Cipher's chaos, at least for them. They were eating around a contained fire; one of Fords earlier experiments. Ford looked around at the group before him. He never thought he'd have to share his bunker with a bunch of strangers. A pair of teenagers – one of which he vaguely recognized as the cashier in Stan's little Mystery Shack – that odd gopher-like handyman, again from the Mystery Shack, and a young blond girl seeming to be Dipper and Mabel's age.

Soos sat on his left side, eating his can of food rather loudly. Beside him was the redhead who, though clearly troubled, occasionally tossed bits and pieces of her dinner out for the pig to catch. The sulky teenager sat beside her, seeming uninterested in the whole thing and keeping his eyes on his food. Stan sat across from him, occasionally shooting irritated glances his way. It had surprised Ford that Dipper had chosen to sit beside Stan rather than him. His dinner went untouched as he stared blankly into the flames. The blond girl was sitting a bit closer to him than most, giving him sympathetic looks every once in a while. Between her and Ford, McGucket sat, having shoved down his meal and was now trying to keep the can away from that persistent goat.

After a while of struggling, the goat noticed Dipper's full can and took to it instead. The boy didn't care. Stan narrowed his eyes at Ford. Dipper had explained everything to Stan on the way down here, and it was plain to see he was livid.

"Something to say, Stanley?" Ford asked, figuring that they might as well get his nonsense out of the way now. Let him vent.

"Yeah, but not here." Stan said. He and Ford set down their cans, stood up and walked to a point away from the group in perfect unison. Stan rounded on Ford and spat his words. "More secrets, more lies! Is that all you know how to do anymore?"

"Hey, the kids –" Ford said, but Stan cut him off.

"And I told you to keep them out of your stuff. Instead I hear about you treating Mabel like she doesn't matter and trying to turn Dipper into another you!" Stan said, just remembering to keep his voice down. "Now look what's happened! Who knows what's happening to Mabel now? And look at Dipper! The kid hasn't said a word in twenty minutes, he thinks it's his fault Mabel's gone! And what's this I hear about you trying to split them up?"

"Dipper's a smart boy, Stan, and Mabel..." Ford trailed off, looking for the right phrase. She wasn't not smart, but... "She was holding him back."

"Holding me back?"

Had Dipper's stunned voice not already spoken it, Stan might have screamed it in outrage. He was standing there behind them, looking at them with the slightest scowl. What really hit Stan hard was the look on the kid's face. Stan had only seen that look from Dipper once; when the two were fighting over the portal. There was this look of broken faith in his eyes, of crushing betrayal.

"Dipper –" Ford started.

"No!" he shouted, tears in his eyes much to Stan's surprise. Dipper might have been a wimp when he and his sister first showed up in Gravity Falls, but Stan had never seen him cry before. "Forget the apprenticeship. When I get Mabel back, we're going home where we belong."

Stan followed Dipper when the boy started back to the group, leaving Ford alone with his thoughts. Dipper sat a foot or so past the rest of the group, moping. He couldn't believe Ford. He thought he was a cool guy, but the words he used for Mabel...Suffocating? Stiffing? Holding him back? Sure, Mabel got in his way and could be annoying sometimes, but she was none of those. If that's what Ford really thought a twin was, his relationship was Stan couldn't have been too good from the start – not like them. They weren't their Gruncles, and she had to know that. He'd have to bring this up to her when they got her back.

Dipper was pulled from his thoughts by an oink that sounded strangely like his name. Waddles was nudging his elbow, trying to get Dipper to pet him. Dipper smiled as he relented and the pig leaned into him when he found a particularly itchy spot behind his ear. "Don't worry, boy. We'll get her back."

From the huddle, Wendy watched them. She'd been feeling protective of Dipper since Mabel's disappearance, and she smirked at the display. "Looks like Dipper found a friend."

"Ya think Waddles even notices Hambone's not here?" Soos asks.

"Who's Waddles?" Pacifica asked.

"The pig." Wendy said. When Pacifica gave her a confused look, she went on. "He's Mabel's, she named him."

"Somehow, that makes perfect sense." the younger girl smirked. Wendy shrugged.

Ford would have been able to think clearly, were it not for this troublesome goat, who kept bleating at him, as if it was trying to...say something. It connected in his head like wires as he remembered one of his first successful inventions; inter-species translators.

Ford went over to an in-wall cabinet and pulled out two of several odd mettle things that looked like iron headbands, with an additional strip going down the middle and a dim red light on each forehead. Ford was still working on translators for wild animals, but luckily goats and pigs were domesticated, so they should work fine.

After some struggling, Ford managed to fit the thing on the goat's head. After a second, the light flickered on and off – in perfect sync with syllables.

"Get this thing off me. What is it?" This new voice caught the attention of everyone in the room – aside from Dipper who was still depressed and Waddles who was so content with the scratching he was nearly asleep.

"An inter-species translator. It –" Anything Ford was planning to say was lost as Gompers reared in alarm and let out a loud bleat, getting Dipper and Waddles' attention.

"You're talking! And I understand – did you just answer me?" Gompers asked.

"Calm down, goat." Ford sighed and held up the second translator. "I was trying to tell you to keep quiet so I could think. We just need to put this on the pig and we're good to go."

"Sure thing." Wendy said, and gave a loud whistle. "Waddles, com'ere boy!" The pig's ears perked up and he ran up to Wendy, who picked him up and held him as Ford fitted the device onto him. Like Gompers, a light worked in sync with his words.

"What's this thing?"

Dipper yelped. He hadn't heard Gompers before, so this was the first encounter he had with the machine's effects. "He talked!"

In a rather amusing moment, Waddles matched Dipper's yelp with a squeal. "D-Dipper, you can talk!"

"Exactly." Ford said as the others all gathered around for this oddity. "The translators will allow you two to converse with and understand humans. Who knows? You might turn out to be useful."

Hearing his tone, Dipper was quickly back on the offensive and walked back to his spot. Waddles looked at Stan, and pawed at his pants. "Stan, where's Mabel? She didn't come with us to this place, and I haven't seen her for hours."

"Mabel's missing, pig." Stan said. "She got upset and ran off."

"What?" Waddles squealed loudly, and began to race around the bunker madly. If not for the translator, he would have been no different from any other panicking pig. "Mabel, no this can't be! Where'd you go? Oh Mabel come back! Oh my best friend!"

"Pig, calm down!" Stan said, managing to catch him in his tracks. "We're getting her back."

"R-really?" Waddles asked.

"Yeah. I told you earlier; we'll bring Mabel home." Dipper said, a look of determination.

"Aw, thanks, Dipper. I knew I could count on you." Waddles snorted happily.

"Who exactly is this 'Mabel?" Gompers asked.

"She's my human, and this boy's her littermate, Dipper." Waddles said. "She wears all those different winter skins."

"Oh, the girl who calls me Gompers." the goat blinked in realization. "I like that girl, and her brother."

"You're name's not Gompers?" Dipper asked. "So...What is it?"

"I..." the goat paused. "I...don't remember. But I know something happened to me, and it had something to do with that thing outside. That...Cipher."

"Bill." Dipper muttered. Had he not had such an exhausting day, he would have been more alert. He yawned against his will.

"Rest, kid." Gompers said, laying down behind Dipper. "You look like you've had a long day." Dipper nodded, and rested his head against the goat's torso. It wasn't as comfortable as a pillow, but it was something, and he was too tiered to move.

Dipper closed his eyes. Before he drifted off, he heard shuffling, quiet arguing about sleeping arrangements and footsteps headed towards him. Whoever it was, they covered him with a blanket, but he was too tiered to so much as hum a thanks. He had a restless dream about Mabel, asking where he was. Asking why he hadn't come to get her yet.

* * *

I'm keeping the first chapter, which was written before _Dipper and Mabel vs. the Future,_ so that probably won't fit with the rest of the story. Also, before I was pretty indifferent to Ford, but the last episode commented it; Ford's a jerk. Not sayin I hate the guy, but his treatment if Mabel? Not cool, bro. Review.


	3. Girl Talk

**Chapter Three: Girl Talk**

 _Snip, snip, snip._

The sound of the scissors was painful to Pacifica, which she supposed should have upset her more than it did. Her own parents. She knew they would go to these lengths – after all, they were willing to let their precious aristocratic guests die for a reputation among a group of people they claimed not to care about – she knew they were loyal to Cipher, and they'd now totally renounced her. And the thing that forefront in her mind was still her hair.

They'd finally gotten Mabel back when they were faced with her father. Mabel was unconscious and Dipper was busy trying to drag her to safety, and it didn't help that the three of them had been separated from the others so no one else could help them. Pacifica was pretty sure that wasn't how you use a grappling hook, but hey, she'd never so much as held the thing before.

Her father had spat that she was a traitor and there was no chance to save her. She had no idea where the blue flames came from, but they might not have made it out if Mr. Pines and...Mr. Pines...hadn't found them. Mabel was fine, but the bottom of Dipper's shoes were singed clean off, as was her hair up to the bottom of her shoulder blades.

Her father had grabbed her burned hair and yanked her away from them. She'd yelled from the pain, and the only reason she remembered that in particular was because of what happened after. Personally, she liked to think it was the reason Dipper had forced himself free from his uncle's grasp, ran up to her father and punched him in square the face. It must have been the shock of this that made him let her go, and she remembered all-too-well that Dipper took a firm grip on her hand and pulled her back to his uncles so they could get away. They saw after that her father had made it out, too, with nothing more than a rather satisfying bruise on his cheekbone.

They were in the bunker again and Dipper and Mabel were sleeping now, curled up with each other, clearly happy to be back together. She felt like a nap, too, but the stench of burned hair kept her up. She needed to get rid of it. Seeing how she probably wouldn't be welcomed home any time soon, there was one person who seemed like she could at least cut her hair without ruining it.

That Wendy girl.

Pacifica didn't think she outright hated Wendy, but something about the girl made her uncomfortable. At first, she thought it was because she was a lumberjack type girl; perhaps the ghost from her mansion had affected her more than she thought. But last night, she saw her with Dipper. They were hugging – apparently taking comfort in each other in the wake of Mabel's disappearance – and crying together.

Pain. The only thing Pacifica knew was that it caused her a strange kind of pain she'd never felt before. This wasn't like being berated by her parents, chewed out by Dipper for lying or being faced with her families horrible reality. This was different. It felt...Lonely. Was that even the right word for it?

"Hey, bud." Wendy said, lightly tapping her shoulder and handing her a hand-held mirror. "You're done. Whadda ya think?"

Pacifica took in her own appearance. Her mother would probably faint if she saw her like this. There was visible dirt on her face, a band-aid on her cheek and her make-up was smeared, making the area around her eyes a dark purple. Her hair had been trimmed so that just the scorch was cut off and had lost much of it's volume. It looked...dead.

"Not much to look at, huh?" Wendy asked sympathetically, taking a small tube of something out of her backpack. "Your hair looks pretty bad. You bleach or something?" Pacifica nodded shortly. She had half a mind to ask what business was it of hers, but didn't really feel like talking. "Ya know, you should really take it easy with the products. It's a good way to ruin you hair. Hey, how 'bout we clean you off?"

Pacifica still didn't say anything, just closed her eyes as Wendy gently dabbed them with what felt like make-up remover. It took a bit longer than usual, of coarse she usually had two of three maids working on this. She had to give Wendy this; this was much more peaceful than her usual nighttime routine. In fact, she felt a little annoyed when the older girl started making conversation; at least for the one second before her words sunk in.

"So, I hear Dipper threw a pretty solid punch for you." Wendy smirked. "Stan actually said he's never been more proud of him."

Pacifica blushed. "I-it was nothing." Wendy's eyebrows raised at the kid's coy manor. That was a look she knew all too well, and as far as she was concerned, it was actually kind of cute. There was silence until they were done and Wendy decided to speak.

"He likes red."

"Huh?" Pacifica asked, opening her now clean eyes. The area around her eyes felt odd – almost naked. She supposed she'd have to get used to that feeling.

"Dipper." Wendy told her as she packed her stuff back up. "He likes red."

"Wh-wait, who said anything about what Dipper likes!?" Pacifica jumped up and took a defensive stance, glaring up at Wendy. "I don't care what he likes. I-I mean...he's my friend, but..." she trailed off, not sure where she was going with that. Honestly, she wasn't sure what Dipper was to her. She defiantly liked him, but...in what way?

She hadn't really noticed him before the party. Granted, she never really looked at him before then. That tux had made him look tall and lithe, and without that hat, she could see his face. A few hours into the party, Mabel had practically chased him down and showed her his birthmark; it was kinda cute once she got used to it. More than that, with his bangs pulled back, she could see his eyes. His deep...rich brown eyes...

"Ya know, sometimes I wish I was your age." Wendy said. Everything she was saying was sincere, but all the same, she wasn't about to miss this opportunity for a bit of fun. "Dipper's so sweet, better than most guys I've gone out with. And imagine what he'll look like when he gets older. He'd probably make a great boyfriend."

Pacifica blanched. What had she just...?

Wendy shrugged playfully. Now she had her attention. "I'm just saying; if I were you, I defiantly wouldn't let someone like him get away. Anyway, it's late. Sleep tight, kid." Wendy got up, stretched and made her way to her cot.

Pacifica explored her newly cut hair with her hand. It...felt kind of nice being cut, but still stringy. Maybe it was time to stop with the products. The hair spray, chemicals, the bleach. She'd been bleaching her hair for so many years, she'd forgotten what her natural color was. As she strained her memory, she came up with a very vague memory of her mother vowing to bleach the odd color out of her hair.

As Pacifica remembered – or thought she remembered – her natural hair color, her face took on a warm tent as Wendy's words came back.

"Red..."

* * *

Before you guys jump down my throat about what I'm sure looks like a cop-out, I warned you that this stuff would be character-based, not the actual fights because, again, not my strong suit. Also, I would like to emphasize that, although I prefer Dipifica, I don't hate Wendy. I like her, especially when she acts like a big sister to the twins, but that's the thing; she always seemed more like that cool older sibling every little kid wants. The friendship between her and Dipper is very sweet. Review.


	4. Mending the Fences

**Note** : In response to not getting this out fast enough in response to the episodes, I'm yanking this from a traditional story to a collection of one-shots. Because. Also, to keep things open, nothing will be in chronological order, aside from the following two chapters.

 **Chapter Four: Mending the Fences**

It felt too quiet to Stan. Whatever happened, it was over, and all he cared about was that his brother and the kids were alright. They were both sleeping in Dipper's bed. Ford was downstairs moping over those dumb journals and Soos was – for some reason Stan admitted he would probably never understand – just outside, shaking hands and signing autographs like some kind of celebrity. The last he saw Wendy, she was trying to calm that Northwest girl who was clearly very worried about the kids.

Mabel didn't seem to be hurt, but the way her arms were locked around her brother's waist like a vice-grip told Stan quite plainly that her day hadn't been any easier. Dipper, on the other hand, was covered in cuts and busies, dirty and had pulled a muscle in his arm. His arms were draped lazily, but somehow firmly around his sister. There was no separating them.

"And that's the way it should be." Stan muttered to himself, gently ruffling his sleeping nephew's hair. He was too proud of the kid for words. Not two months ago he was whining about having to go into the woods, but not two hours ago...Dipper was acting like a leader.

After tucking the kids in, Stan stood up, stretched and walked over to the window. It was getting dark outside. Soos, Wendy and Pacifica were getting into his truck and took off into the woods. He could imagine they'd be dropping her off at home before returning home themselves. Almost the moment the Pines had returned to the shack, the phone rang and Stan was unfortunate enough to answer it; Dan was screaming at him about where Wendy was. He hadn't heard anything about that idiot Preston Northwest, but surly the girl's mother was worried about her. Stan was pretty sure he'd misheard that bit about Soos's grandmother turning into her chair, but whatever.

Now it was just the four of them in the house. Just him and Ford in a sense, with the kids so zonked out they were practically unconscious. Maybe now he'd finally talk to him...like they used to when they were little. As Stan walked out of the room as quietly as possible, he sighed.

Ford was at the kitchen table, surprisingly devoid of any book in his hands. Stan could count the number of times he'd seen Ford without a book in-hand since age fourteen on one hand. He just looked tiered. Ford cracked open an eye, glanced at him and forced himself to sit up as Stan took a seat. It seemed that they both knew the time for secrets was over – for real this time. Secrets had nearly destroyed the world – and more importantly the kids.

After a moment of silence – they spoke each others names at once. Stan sighed in tired frustration when the phone rang. What timing. Reluctantly, he answered.

"Dan, calm down. Wendy's on her way ho–" he paused when he heard an unexpected voice. "Oh, Kristen. Yeah, I shoulda expected a call from you...Yeah...Yeah, it was weird...Yeah, he kids are okay, I promise. Dipper got a bit banged up, but – Oh no, he'll be fine! The worst is a pulled muscle in his arm. Yes, it was very dangerous, but it's safe now, so...Right...Alright, I'll see you and Jace tomorrow. Goodbye."

Stan sighed as he hung up. He turned to a very interested-looking Ford. "That was Kristen – the kids' mom. That...thing apparently spread over to them, and they knew the kids are at the center of it. She and Jason'll be here tomorrow to see the kids. Make sure they're okay. And they're very interested to meet you."

"Oh, that'll be fun." Ford smirked.

"Ford," Stan said as he reclaimed his seat. "have you been up there to see them yet?"

"No, I'd imagine they're just sleeping." Ford said. Feeling that he wouldn't get it, Stan decided to move on. And people always said Ford was the smart one.

"They were so happy to be back together." Stan said, rubbing the back of his neck. "It – it was only three days, but..."

Ford understood, but he didn't get why it was such a big deal. "I'd hate to say, but Dipper disappointed me." Stan glanced up at him in a mixture of anger and aggravation. "It was very foolish and selfish to put his sister before -"

"Stop." Stan raised a hand for silence, knowing too well what Ford was about to say. A lack of so-called twin ESP wasn't an issue in this case. "Growing up, you were always to the smart one, Sixey. The brains, the overachiever, the one who'd actually be worth something."

"Stan, if you had only applied yourself in school –" Ford started, but Stan cut him short.

"That's not the point." Stan said, and took a deep breath to calm himself down before he started yelling. He didn't want to wake the kids. "If you're so smart, than why's that so hard for you to understand? The idea that someone could care so much about someone else, that they'd literally let the world end for one more chance to see them? To forgive and forget mistakes. Be...be friends again?"

"Ya know what, Stan, I'm not a people person." Ford said as calmly as he could. "As far back as I could remember, my fingers made me an outcast; at least you had the character and charm to get a few friends – even a couple of girlfriends, but I was too awkward. I know I'm not as aware of others as I should be, but...it's too late for apologies."

For once, Ford had a genuinely remorseful look on his face. Stan felt like there'd been some kind of break through, so he decided to take his chances. "What about...Thanks...es?"

"Huh?" Ford asked, now confused.

"For...doing exactly what Dipper did. Risking the word to get my twin back...just to say sorry for some stupid fight." Stan said.

"Hm. I never did thank you for that." For sighed, and smiled to himself. "It has been good to be back home. Stan, I am grateful, but I have to ask; what in heaven's name were you thinking?"

"C'mon," Stan scoffed and shoved Ford in the shoulder in a friendly way. "you know me; I never think!" He puffed out his chest and made his statement a proud one. Instantly, they were both practically transported back to their childhood. When nothing really mattered. When they actually talked to each other. When they were best friends. "What happened to us, Ford?"

"We grew up." Ford said, but paused for a moment to look at Stan. He smirked. "I stand corrected. I grew up, you just got older."

Stan chuckled. "Yeah, well, if not for that, the kids would have never come up here. When their dad was little, his folks used to leave him with me all the time. Portal or not, I always made sure Jason had a good time. I might not have had my own kids, but I was the next best thing; the favorite uncle. Anyway, Jason contacted me late last spring, said he wanted his kids up here for the summer like his folks used to do. If the kids never came up here, Dipper would never have found your weird little journal and we wouldn't have gotten you back. So in a way, it looks like my refusing to grow up saved your butt, huh?" he chuckled.

"Ah, go...stick your head in a freezer." Ford smiled, despite the utter mortification of such a thought, and shoved Stan, once again like they did as kids.

Noticing it was getting dark, the Pines brothers were suddenly hit with a wave of fatigue. It had been a busy week, not the least of which was today. "Maybe we outta turn in for the night. Kristen said they'd be here early tomorrow anyway."

"Yeah. Night Stan." Ford said, getting up from the chair and walking to his couch. As Stan climbed up the stairs to his room, he looked at his brother for a moment. He wasn't sure, but he felt like...things would be okay after a while.

"Goodnight, bro."

* * *

It was tough writing from Ford's pov and make it sympathetic. Do I hate the guy? No, he's just a callus old man, more-so than Stan, who's at least funny. Also, someone told me that Ford does like Mabel; I wasn't saying he didn't like Mabel, I was just saying it wasn't cool of him to brush off her feelings like that. So I don't hate, Ford, I just don't like him as much as I like Stan. Review.


	5. His Eyes

**Chapter Five: His Eyes**

"Thanks again, Mable, for the sweaters." Wendy smiled at the younger girl. They, along with Pacifica were up in the twins' room and going through her plethora of sweaters, if only to wear something not caked in sweat or cobbled from rags. Amusingly, a whitish-blue sweater with the word 'ice' on it fit Wendy perfectly, if a bit snug around the chest.

Pacifica studied herself in a mirror she'd found among Mabel's stuff. Her llama sweater was rather comfortable – not as sweaty or itchy as it looked. She wasn't sure why, but there was something about the llama seemed important. Like it belonged there.

She'd worn heavy make-up for as long as she could remember, but it had faded over the last few days. It seemed strange, seeing her reflection with no make-up, her unkempt hair and her face covered in a thin layer of dirt and dusty. Her eyes widened in horror when she lifted her bangs and saw a tiny, bright red bump just beneath her hairline.

"First zit, kid?" Wendy asked. The suddenness of the voice made Pacifica jump and swerve around. "I've been there."

"I need a shower." her voice was a small, shocked warble.

"It's fine, everyone gets them." Wendy said nonchalantly. "It'll probably be gone in a week."

"A week?" Pacifica squeaked in fear. "Is that...seven whole days?"

"And four weeks in a month!" Mabel beamed. Wendy couldn't help but smile at how quickly she'd bounced back from all that bad stuff so easily.

"This isn't funny, Mabel!" Pacifica said, giving her a small of firm scowl before she took a deep breath to calm herself. "By the way, where'd you guys disappear to? I was getting...worried."

As Wendy and Mabel recounted their stories, Pacifica tried to absorb as much as she could. Her heart twinged with loneliness when the scrapbook part came up and she found herself wishing, certainly not for the first time, that she had a sibling to love and to love her that deeply. One of the first things she ever remembered asking her parents was if they cold get her a brother or sister to play with. It was also one of the reasons she had hated Mabel when they first met; not only was this girl spending summer away from her parents and allowed to be loud and goofy so freely, but she also had a brother who'd do anything for her.

 _'Yeah, I was jealous, so what?'_ Pacifica thought to herself.

Of course, she couldn't imagine Dipper in a brotherly way. For some reason, the idea of a sibling-like relationship with the Pines twins...She supposed Mabel would be a fun sister, if a bit annoying at times. Dipper, though? Dipper was brave, loyal and, in her admittedly limited experience with him, the type to completely throw himself into whatever he was doing. That sounded pretty fun, too, but as a brother? The words 'Dipper' and 'brother' just seemed incompatible.

She'd had a dream about him last night. He'd found a way to defeat Bill and undo all the chaos, and they had spent some time together after. She was pretty sure she'd never forget the way those beautiful dark eyes looked at her, and he had kissed her. She'd been very, _very_ disappointed when she woke up.

"Pacifica?" Mabel asked, yanking the once pampered girl from her thoughts. She jumped and blushed deeply as she looked at Mabel. Wearily, she took an instant to study the girl's eyes, which were the same as her brother's. To Pacifica's confusion – and a bit of relief as well – they were nothing special; just a pair of dark brown eyes. But than, why did she find them so enticing on Dipper?

"You zoned out for a minute." Wendy said. "We were asking what happened to you."

"Oh." Pacifica said, doing her best to hastily chase away the image of his eyes. "Well, as soon as Bill showed up, my dad tried to join him to save himself and Bill...did something to his face, I forget exactly what he said, but I haven't seen him since. Those eyeball-bat things got my mom on the second day and I...I remember I was running from the swarm. I think something hit me in the head because I woke up in your bed that night. Mr. Pines says he found me, shooed the bats away and brought me back here."

There was a knock at the door and Stan came in, followed by Dipper. "You girls alright?" Stan asked.

"Yeah, we're fine." Wendy said.

"Well, dinner's done." Stan said, making Pacifica feel a bit queezy. It wasn't that the food was really that bad, (it was far more palatable than something like a rat would probably be) but her stomach just wasn't used to such...crude fair. Half the time after eating she'd spend an hour or so doubled over in pain.

"What's for dinner?" Mabel asked.

"I dunno, something I got from Ford's bunker." Stan shrugged. "Heh. Turns out having an insane, paranoid brother has it's perks." Mabel gave him a wide smile at this and, along with Wendy, they left the room in a small huddle. Dipper was about to follow, quite eager to finally have something decent to eat, until he noticed Pacifica sitting on his bed and looking to be in her own world.

"Hey." he greeted, getting her attention as he walked to his bed and sitting beside her. "You okay?"

Pacifica didn't answer him right away. She wished Dipper wasn't watching her so intently...how was she supposed to get her thoughts straight with those eyes watching her like a hawk? Still, she knew he was just trying to be a good friend.

"I was just thinking about everything." she finally said, not looking at him. "Especially the last few days. Bill got my parents and I'm not even sure if the manor's still standing. I...Dipper, just tell me everything's gonna be okay."

Dipper placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and her cheeks colored at the touch as she turned to face him. "Look, we're gonna get through this. We'll sent Bill and his minions back to whatever realm they crawled out of."

Dipper had spoken those last words with determination. Pacifica smiled and threw her arms around him. Although a bit taken aback by this, this time he was quick to regain his wits and returned the hug. They stayed like that for a few seconds more, Pacifica never wanting to let go and Dipper noticing that this was...kind of nice.

"Hey lovebirds." Hearing the new voice, the pair practically leaped apart, both of their faces quite red. It was Wendy, leaning on the door-frame and watching them with an amused look on her face. "McGucket's getting ansty, you guys comin' or what?"

"We're...coming." Dipper choked in a tone that Wendy had learned, through his old crush on her, meant deep embarrassment. Poor kid. Wendy smirked as she watched the two walk passed her out the door, Dipper keeping his eyes to the floor and Pacifica sneaking small glaces at the back of his head as she followed him.

As she followed them down the stairs and into the kitchen, Wendy ideally wondered how much funnier it would have been if she'd had Mabel with her.

* * *

For those wondering what I thought of the Wendip scene from Escape From Reality, I like it, aside from how it totally spit in the face of my headcanon (that if Dipper were older, Wendy would probably go for it). It scared me for about five seconds and than imminently redeemed itself by going _Princess Mononoke_ on our asses! Woo-hoo! Also, I hear that the show's going on one last hiatus before the series finale. Oh well. To keep the rest of us entertained, any requests until than? And yes, I'll take AUs as well. Review.


	6. The Greatest Uncle

**Chapter Six: The Greatest Uncle**

IN LOVING MOMORY OF STANLEY "MISTER MYSTERY" PINES. BELOVED BROTHER, UNCLE, AND HERO.

Dipper's heart seemed to both lift and constrict as he read these words. He couldn't help the smile that came to his lips, even though part of him felt it inappropriate. It filled him with a sense of pride as he looked at the statue that stood tall where the statue of Nathaniel Northwest had once been. There stood the image of his great uncle, looking quite dignified in his Mr. Mystery getup, propping himself up on his eight-ball cane, with his signature eye-patch end giving that goofy showman's smile.

"Well, Gruncle Stan." his voice was a bit shaky, but there were no tears. He and Mabel had cried themselves out the night after it happened and for once, even Ford seemed affected by it all. Just last night, when he was supposed to be in bed, Dipper had come down for a drink of water and had spied Ford sobbing and whispering apologies to Stan. "You got what you wanted; a tombstone bigger than Ford's."

Dipper's smile fell as he remembered it. It all started a few nights ago. He and Mable had been woken up around midnight by a loud argument between their gruncles. He could remember pieces of their argument, and it would be a full day before he understood any of it.

"Stan, this is insane. You'll destroy those kids!"

"Look, if it really comes to that, make sure you save them. Drag them kicking and screaming if you have to. Don't make them think they have a choice or that they could have done anything."

"Are...you okay?"

"No, Ford, I'm not. If it weren't for me, you'da never been trapped in that portal. Do you have any idea how guilty and torn up I felt for years? I don't want either of them to have to go through that; thinking there was anything they could have done to stop it. This is my decision and you're helping me, got it?"

Dipper let out a deep breath to calm himself, feeling that he could start crying again. Any more crying and he was liable to dehydrate himself. He looked around to the rest of the town. It was actually looking better than before and the construction had been completed this morning. Things were finally getting back to normal. Well, what passed for normal in this town.

He had to hand it Pacifica. She'd used up a nice chunk of her family's wealth restoring the town on top of insisting that his uncle more than deserved this statue; he had saved so many people and more than that, he'd been pivotal in Bill's defeat. Oh, her father, who had returned to normal after the effects of weird-mageddon were lifted, hadn't like that at all. He supposed that if Mabel and Wendy hadn't taught her how to sneak out of her room, they wouldn't see her at all these days.

With Mr. Mystery gone, there was no more Mystery Shack. Dipper imagined that Ford would get rid of everything so that they wouldn't recognize the place next year. And they would be returning next year; he and Mabel had sworn on it. He'd seen before that Soos was capable of finding employment elsewhere, of course on the off chance that nobody would need a handyman to start with. Wendy had assured him and Mabel over and over that she'll figure something out for next summer. So long as it left her with plenty of time for them, of course. Ford had promised to keep their room as it was.

Tomorrow was the day they'd be returning home. Dipper had chosen, rather easily, to return home with Mabel. Aside from not abandoning his sister and parents, Dipper decided that nothing was worth depriving himself of his own adolescence. After all, what good is waiting for something if you're just gonna waste it away in a dark, cramped basement? No, Dipper wanted friends, high-school, memories, perhaps a girlfriend or two. Mostly, he just wanted to be with his family.

Today, though, was a happy day. In addition to the construction of the town being completed, it was his birthday. Dipper and Mabel were thirteen today. He would try to have fun at the obvious party everyone was setting up back at the shack, but everyone also knew that the aftereffects of weird-maggedon had casted a shadow over this day. This was one of the milestones in his and Mabel's lives, and Stan would never see it.

The subject of his birthday lead to Dipper thinking about the past. As far back as he could remember, his father's uncle had been on of those distant relatives. The kind of relative that lived out of state, seldom visited outside of reunions, and was pretty much a stranger they were vaguely aware of. Upon actually arriving in Gravity Falls, Stan had been just some creepy old guy that had them working at the shack and seemed to like Mabel more than him. Not unlike all the kids at school, actually.

Dipper lowered the bill of his hat. The hat that Stan had given him. He'd decided to take it home as a kind of souvenir. Of course, knowing the kids back home, they'd probably steal it on the first day of school and flush it in a toilet. That had been why he'd moved from beanies to baseball caps in forth grade. Dipper wasn't looking foreword to it; he had liked his old hat, but not as much as his pine tree hat, perhaps because Stan had given it to him. It certainly meant more to him than the toy cars his uncle had sent him as Christmas presents over the years.

"Di-i-ippe-e-er!" Dipper turned around to see Mabel running up to him. "It's noon! Soos said to come back to the shack by then, remember?"

"Oh yeah." Dipper grinned in amusement. "The party they think we're too dumb to know about."

"Hey, let's get back at them by yelling surprise at them! That'll throw 'em off!" Mabel smiled. Dipper laughed a bit at this. It was his first laugh in days.

* * *

So there's a theory floating around that ol' Stanny will die in the finale. There is actually a bit of in-show evidence to support this; for example, the Stancherian Candidate had an underlying theme of Stan's mortality. I'm...actually not totally opposed to this, so long as they give the man a proper send-off like this. Because hey, Mr. P. deserves as much, right? Review.


	7. Books and Bonds

**Note** : To avoid confusion, the following chapter is genderflipped. Also, aged up three years because for some reason, I always envision genderflipped aus as aged-up as well. Just say everyone in three years above their canon ages.

 **Chapter Seven: Books and Bonds**

Atlas wasn't sure why he was still in Dipper and Mason's room. Well, okay, he knew why, he just didn't won't to admit it to himself. There had been a five-day gap between his own rescue and the start of the battle, and he had needed something to do in that time; apart from trying to ignore the unicorn's taunt and arguing with the gnomes.

This had been an odd week, hadn't it?

Anyway, Atlas had needed something to do. After trying a bunch of different things, Atlas had come across some of Dipper's little nerd books. He'd picked on the girl for liking such things before, but...it was something to do. To his own alarm, he'd found the books...entertaining. The characters, the settings, the plots – it was no wonder some people liked this stuff.

Atlas's face grew warm when the subject of Dipper came up in his mind. She was part of the reason he was here right now. More specifically, part of why he'd had to sneak away from his parents for this. His father had grounded him only hours ago, mere seconds after the end of the battle; he hadn't even been home yet. Atlas was just glad he and Mom were still alive – unkind or not, he guessed parents were parents.

He'd had three charges brought against him for his grounding. The first had been taking it upon himself to use a large sum of their fortune to have the town fixed up as quickly as possible while still doing a quality job. Atlas felt particularly proud of this; at least the good this would do would at least neutralize the initial lie from Nathaniel.

The second was that he was out in public in 'filthy, cheap rags'. What they meant by that was the common tee-shirt with the llama on it, an old, ripped pair of jeans and old, muddy sneakers, all of which Mason had loaned him. He'd have to return the jeans and shoes, but part of him sort of wanted to keep the shirt; it was rather comfortable.

The third was purely due to bad timing. The joy and triumph of the victory over Bill and the end of weird-mageddon had gone to everyone's head. His parents had chosen to show up at the very moment Atlas had embraced Dipper and twirled her around. After the party, his parents had explicitly forbidden him from associating with the Pines's, especially that 'little temptress' Dipper. Atlas couldn't help but blush when the word 'cavorting' came up in his father's screaming.

So, he was finally ungrounded from one transgression only to basically be grounded again immediately after. He couldn't wait for his eighteenth birthday. Oh well, back to looking.

"Hey, Atlas." The boy jumped and jerked around to see the Pines twins. Mason with his ripped red tee-shirt with a shooting star on it, Dipper with her chipped hat and tattered sleeves.

"Hey, guys." he sighed, calming down.

"You okay?" Dipper asked. "Your dad seemed pretty mad earlier."

"Oh, he just grounded me for I don't know how long." Atlas said. To his surprise, Dipper snickered.

"Seriously?" she asked, and Atlas's heart leaped into his throat when she smiled. "How can they still do that? Your a hero like the rest of us!"

"W-well, they called what I'm wearing rags -"

"WHAT?" Mason fumed, causing Atlas and Dipper to jump. "My shirts are great! Those are all hand-stitched, Pines original, custom made! When's the last time they -"

"Mason, calm down!" Dipper said.

"And then, they, uh...well, they told me not to associate with you guys after the party." Atlas said, "So when they saw...um..."

"O-oh." Dipper blushed and glanced at the floor as she remembered him picking her up and spinning her around. Not really thinking, she'd locked her arms around his neck, buried her hands in his surprisingly soft hair.

"Oh, I saw that, too." Mason said. By the sly look he was giving Atlas, it was clear he'd forgotten Mr. Northwests slander against his shirts. "You two wanna be alone?"

"Please don't." his still red-faced sister squeaked.

"Please do?" Mason asked playfully. "Yes, leave. Okay, have fun." he said, and directed his next words to Atlas specifically. "Not too much fun though. You and I might be friends now, Northwest, but that's still my baby sister."

"Ya know, on second thought; beat it, Mason." Dipper said.

"Got it, sis." Mason winked at them and kept the same wide, toothy grin the whole way out the door, leaving Atlas and Dipper blushing so hard, their faces were practically glowing red.

""Sorry 'bout him." Mabel said. "I don't know what he's thinking."

"S'okay." Atlas said.

"So, you were saying?" the girl asked.

"Huh?"

"Your parents grounded you?" Dipper said, glancing away from him.

"Oh yeah." Atlas cleared his throat. "Well, when I was here, before you guys showed up, I...I needed something to do. I beg your pardon, but I picked up some of your books. They're...actually pretty good."

"Really?" Dipper asked, now intrigued. "Which ones?"

"I like the Keeper books." he gave her a shy grin.

"The Legend of the Keepers?" Dipper asked. "That's a good series. Who's...who's your favorite character?"

"Aden." Atlas answered, surprised at both how easy the answer came to him and how easy it was to talk to her about this. "All scared, not thinking much of himself even though he needs to help save the world. I...guess I can kind of relate to him."

"Yeah, it does kind of sound like you." Dipper giggled. Atlas's heart fluttered and he suddenly got an urgent feeling.

"D-Dipper." he asked and she looked him in the eyes. "You wanna –"

"ATLANTIC ELLIOT NORTHWEST, WHERE ARE YOU!?" the booming voice of his father screamed from outside.

"That's my cue." Atlas said. "I'm gonna get out of here before I'm trapped. I'll drop by later, though. We uh, we can talk...about the books."

"I-" Dipper said, turning red again. "I'd like that. Call me, kay? You've got Mason's number, right?"

"S-sure." Atlas said. Not thinking, he pecked her on the check, sending a shiver down her spine, and bolted out the door.

Dipper's eyes were wide and she stood frozen in the middle of the room. The only part of her that moved was her arm as she reached up to touch the spot on her cheek that Atlas had kissed.

* * *

I found the name Atlantic "Atlas" Northwest in another genderflipped fic. I enjoy the name Atlas (sounds a lot better that Paz. I mean, paz sounds like a type of candy), so there, nitpickers! Also, I always thought that if someone called Mabel's sweaters 'rags', she'd be furious. Review.


	8. Brothers Forgive

**Chapter Eight: Brothers Forgive**

Dipper heard his sister crying and was careful to enter their room quietly. She was sitting on her bad, hunched over with her hands clasped in her lap. She didn't seem to notice him.

"Mabel?" Dipper asked, instantly reminded of how she'd been sulking before their fight five days ago. Had he done something again? If he had, he thought, best own up to it and explain himself now. He'd much rather get chewed out for a minute than risk her running off again, especially into the world Bill had created outside the shack. "Mabel?" he asked again, getting up on the bed and sitting beside her.

"I-it's my fault." Mabel said, her voice choked with despair.

"What?" Dipper asked.

"This whole thing." Mabel said, not even moving to look at him. "Everything's my fault. B-Blendin showed up and said he could give us more summer if I gave him the snow-globe thingy in your bag. So I-I gave it to him and he broke it. B-Bill took his body and he broke it. I-I swear I didn't know what it was. I-I didn't mean to! This is the most my-faultiest mistake ever. I'm so sorry Dipper, please don't hate me."

Dipper frowned at the story. So that's how it happened. It was Bill behind everything. Well, in retrospect that was rather obvious. He couldn't fault Mabel for not knowing; Ford had told him to keep it from her, although he couldn't imagine how Bill came to possess Blendin, of all people.

"Please say something." Mabel said, finally looking at him. Tears were still in her eyes.

"Mabel, nothing's your fault." Dipper said and she looked surprised. "You didn't know about the rift."

"R-rift?" Mabel sniffled and wiped her eyes.

"Ford dismantled the portal, and the rift is leftover from that." Dipper said. "He said it was a secret between us. So if it's your fault, then it's my mine, too. I-I should have told you about it from the start."

Mabel's fists clinched. Ever since Ford showed up, it seemed to her like he was trying to take her brother away from her. She knew it was selfish to want to keep Dipper to herself, but a small part of her didn't care. Ford already had his own twin brother; if he wanted one so bad, why not patch things up with him? Stan certainly seemed to want to, but Ford didn't seem to like him. Mabel sometimes wished she'd pressed that button, after which she'd feel awful for thinking such a thing.

"Bill tricked you; if this is really anyone's fault, it's his." Dipper said.

"Thanks." she said half-heartedly.

"No, I'm serious Mabel." Dipper said, frowning. "Coming to you at your most desperate? Using time to pressure you? You know that's what he does."

Mabel looked at him, and to Dipper's disappointment, she didn't look any happier. "So...you're not mad at me?"

"You're not hearing me, are you?" Dipper asked. And people said she was quicker to the punch than him when it came to social situations. "I don't blame you for any of this. I really don't, I promise."

"Why not?" Mabel asked, turning back away from him.

"It was an accident." Dipper said simply. "Isn't that what you said? If you didn't mean too, what's the point of me getting mad?"

"It was an accident when Stan broke Fords sciencey-thing, and he hates him now." Mabel pointed out bitterly.

Dipper took a deep breath as he came to the realization which, to his own confusion, wasn't as disappointing as he thought it would be. "Well, I guess I'm not like Ford, than." Mabel's eyes widened as her head snapped in her brother's direction. "You're right about one thing; causing the apocalypse has to be the mother of all mistakes. I mean, once we get out of this, anything else would seem like nothing."

"Yeah." Mabel smiled and laughed for a few second. "So, if something like that ever happens to us..."

Dipper smiled and pulled her into a one-armed hug. "I won't get stupid. I can't promise I won't be mad at first, but I'll eventually forgive you. You're my sister, and I'll always love you. Nothing'll ever change that."

"I'll always love you, too, bro." Mabel's smile grew and hugged him back.

Neither of them noticed that the door was cracked, so it was only natural they wouldn't know someone was listening in. Stan had to suppress his tears, especially when Dipper had said he wasn't like Ford, and again when he assured Mabel that he'd forgive her, no matter what she did. His nephew had made him proud before, but now...

The sound of glass breaking and yelling from downstairs reminded Stan of why he'd come up here. It seems that Wendy and the unicorn had some bad blood between them; Wendy had jumped at that overgrown pony for picking on Pacifica, so Stan figured Mabel would be able to defuse this. Or tip the scales in the girls' favor; whichever.

"Hey, Mabel." Stan said, coming into the room and getting the kids attention. "Wendy and the unicorn are fighting again. We kinda need you down there." Mabel jumped off the bed and started out the room and down the stairs. Dipper followed closely behind.

"Dipper." Stan said, stopping the boy before he left the room. Dipper looked at him blankly, wondering what his uncle could want of him. Stan smiled proudly at him. "Good boy."

* * *

Announcement: This fic will be renamed in the future as the name 'Dream Searching' doesn't seem to fit anymore. For lack of a better name, I'm just gonna call it 'weird-mageddon one-shots' for now, starting before the next chapter. I'll let you guys know if I think of something better. Review.


	9. Shovels, Bells and Friendships

**Chapter Nine: Shovels, Bells and Friendships**

"AAH!"

SMACK

"Ow! Hey, wait!"

This was all Dipper and Mabel heard before Pacifica ran from the other room, passed them and up the stairs. Before either could question this, Jeff scurried into the room with a red mark on his face. "Pacifica, please. You'd make a great queen!"

The twins exchanged aggravated looks hearing this and Dipper plucked him up by the back of his shirt with ease before he could pass them. "Jeff, are you kidnapping again?" Mabel asked.

"Oh no, I learned my lesson. No more dressing up as a human and luring little girls into the woods for me." Jeff told her. "I've just been watching her for a while and no; she doesn't have an over-possessive brother to wreck our plans."

"Really?" Dipper asked in deadpan tone, being sure to keep the gnome at arms length. He tried to not seem overly concerned or aggressive, but for some reason this angered him a great deal more than them kidnapping his own sister. He wasn't sure why, but he felt...personally threatened. He sighed, sensing anything he could say wouldn't do anything productive.

"I'll go talk to Pacifica." Mabel said, walking to the stairs. "Can you keep Jeff away?"

"Will do." Dipper said, carrying Jeff over to the couch and sitting down. He let out a whistle, causing Jeff to yelp and cover his ears. "Waddles, c'mere." The pig jumped up on the couch and Dipper set Jeff down and held him in place as he started scratching between the pig's ears when he was right in front of Jeff. After a second, Waddles collapsed on the couch, pinning the gnome down as he rested his chin blissfully on Dipper's lap. Dipper smirked, rewarding Waddles with more scratching. "That's a good boy."

And he wasn't over-possessive, he was rightly protective, thank you very much.

Upstairs, if Stan or Soos were to wander into the room, they would be in shock. The last time either had seen these two girls interact was on an awkward and quiet ride home. Far from that, the girls were now sitting side-by-side and laughing as though they'd been best friends for years.

"Wait, really?" Mabel asked, staving off her laughter.

"I know. The gnome said he's been stalking me and actually expected me to marry him." Pacifica smirked, now quite thankful that Dipper had made her invite Mabel to her parents' party a few weeks back; if he hadn't, this might still be awkward. The girls had really broken the ice as the three of them went running through the mansion, avoiding her parents and making as much noise as possible. She'd felt so free and safe with them.

"Oh, you should have seen what they did to me." Mabel said. "It was, like, three or four days after we got here. The gnomes dressed up like a boy, we went on a date and they took me into the woods. They actually kidnapped me and Dipper had to come save me with a shovel."

"Shovel?" Pacifica half-laughed in slight disbelief.

"We defeated them with a leafblowers." Mabel snickered.

"That's not too surprising." Pacifica rolled her eyes. "I mean, I've only got up against a ghost and those little golf people. So far, the most effective weapons against these things are mirrors, leaf blowers, putters and shovels."

"I guess all you really need to do it go into a garage, than." Mabel said. "Lucky Gruncle Stan has all that junk lying around."

"So, Mabel," Pacifica asked. "What did you mean a few after you got here?"

"Oh, we're not from here." Mabel said. "Me and Dipper are from California. Are parents sent us up here for the summer. We're supposed to go him in –" Mabel paused and looked as though she'd just been smacked. "Two days. We...we only have two days to fix all this. I don't wanna have to spend my thirteenth birthday in this world."

Even Pacifica, awkward and socially inexperienced as she was, could easily pick up on Mabel's upset state, and she was keen to change the subject. "So...You're turning thirteen in a couple of days? Lucky you; I've got three more months of being twelve."

"Ya know, I tried to give you your invitation, but no one came to the door so I just slipped it under your door." Mabel said.

"Oh, that's what that was." Pacifica nodded to herself. "I noticed my dad looking at a piece of paper that had crayon on it. He tossed it into a fireplace once I tried to get a look at it, but I did manage to see the tree from Dipper's hat."

"Your dad's kinda..." Mabel trailed off, searching for a none-offensive way of putting it. Inwardly, she could have yelled at the man, not only for how he treated her friend, but she'd worked hard on all those invitations.

"A jerk, you can say it." Pacifica sighed like she was admitting defeat over something. "You know he trained me like a dog with a bell? He wouldn't even let me play with other kids when I was little. I think he hired Tiffany and Jessica to be my friends just so I'd stop trying. Wait, no, he hired them to hang out with me. I don't think we were ever actually friends; they mostly just followed me around and laughed at whatever I made fun of. We never really sat down and talked or anything."

"Wow." Mabel said, now looking concerned at her. "My dad just grounds us when we get in trouble."

"I guess that's why I was so hard on you." Pacifica confessed. "You're allowed to be loud and weird and...wear sweaters in summer. You can say what you want and no one'll ring a bell at you, you get to spend your summer away from home without going to some kind of camp, you even have Dipper. Did you know that when I was little, the only thing in the world I really wanted was a brother or sister to play with?"

As Mabel listened, she realized that Pacifica was right; she couldn't imagine a life of such restriction and rules, having such mean parents and especially no brother. Mabel decided than and there that the first thing she would to when she got home was give her own parents the best hugs ever and tell them how much she loved them.

Pacifica sighed. "You're really lucky, Mabel."

Mabel was about to replay, but the girls looked at the door as it was opened and Dipper came in. "Hey, girls."

"Hey Dipper." Pacifica greeted as he walked over to them and sat on the other side of Pacifica so she was between them.

"I thought you were watching Jeff." Mabel said.

"Taken care of." Dipper grinned, remembering when Waddles had rolled over in his sleep, further pinning Jeff to the couch, and if Dipper knew the pig he wouldn't be getting up for at least an hour.

"My hero." Pacifica said playfully, making Dipper's face flush. This wasn't lost on Mabel, who gave them a sly look.

"Shut up, Mabel!" Dipper said, blushing further. Pacifica, her own cheeks now pink, kept her eyes on her lap, suddenly feeling quite shy. Mabel beamed.

"I didn't say anything!"

* * *

So a bit of an explanation here. I just completed _Gravity Falls: The Legend Of The Gemulets_ for the 3DS, and yes. According to the game (which the crew of the show were closely involved in), Jeff has been watching Pacifica and thinks she'd be a fine gnome queen. Because they weren't creepy enough! Oh, also, the original gnome queen was eaten by a badger shortly before the series started. M'kay. Review.


	10. Wimps, Men and Heroes

**Chapter Ten: Wimps, Men and Heroes**

Dipper was sitting at the kitchen table surrounded by the girls, and he didn't even seem to notice. Pacifica and Candy sat on either side of him, holding his hands, and Mabel rubbed a hand on his shoulder and Grenda just watched him sympathetically.

Wendy's looked at this scene furiously. That thing – she thought it called itself a manotaur – had had the nerve to call Dipper a wimp. For some reason, he listened to him and ran to the kitchen to be alone. Too bad, than, that the rest of the girls followed him. Wendy would have gone with them, but there was one thing she needed to do first. No one hurt Dipper like that. No. One.

"Where do you think you get off picking on Dipper like that?" Wendy said, glaring up at Chutzpar, who seemed proud of himself.

Neither of them seemed aware that they had a small audience. Stan had been walking by with a fresh pit cola in-hand when he'd heard the manotaur berating his nephew. He'd originally meant to join in for kicks, before he saw the kid's face; this was really getting to him. This had also gained the attention of Soos and Multi-bear, who'd struck up a friendly conversation before.

"Seriously girl?" Chutzpar asked, looking somewhere between condescending and genuinely confused. "The kid's spineless. He –"

Stan, Soos and Multi-bear each had mind to say something about this, but none of them got to because before Chutzpar could even form his next word, Wendy delivered a very sound punch to his face.

"Listen up, ya smelly old weregoat." she said in a voice that commanded respect. "What have you been doing during all this. Running and hiding from the real threats? Dipper's been risking life and limb to rescue his sister and saved all of us. And if he had to, I know he'd do it all again and again for however long it took. And you call that a wimp?"

Chutzpar was silent for a moment, clearly having been caught off-guard. "He's still no man." he persisted.

"Your right. He isn't a man." Wendy said, seeming somewhere between still furious and chillingly calm. "He's a hero."

The two stared each other down for a few moments before the girl turned her back and headed into the kitchen to join the rest of the girls.

"Heh." Soos chuckled happily, Stan and Multi-bear blankly glancing at him. "She told you, dude."

The four peered into the kitchen to see the kids, Wendy now embracing Dipper from behind and tussling his hair. While still clearly sullen, there was a small smile on his face and seemed to be in somewhat better spirits from the attention.

Stan chuckled in amusement. "Hehe. Kid's a real ladies man."

Multi-bear tried not to look too smug at Chutzpar as he spoke. "Ya know, manotaur, you can say whatever you want about whoever you want, but ya know what? I don't see you being fawned over by a bunch of girls."

* * *

Quickie here and, in my mind, a natural extension of Wendy's awesomeness in canon. Because nobody messes with the kids when she's around, right? Also, log live Multi-bear. Review.


	11. Clarity

**Chapter Eleven: Clarity**

"Hey, Dipper." Wendy called, having just climbed the stairs and heading towards the kids' room. He'd disappeared after dinner, and she was getting worried. She didn't get an answer as she got to the door so she knocked gently. "Dipper?" Still nothing, so she opened the door, seeing him laying on his bed, staring at the ceiling. "You okay?"

Dipper seemed startled to see her but flung himself up none the less. He moved to sit on the side of the bed as Wendy sat beside him. "No one's seen you since dinner. What's up with that?"

"Hey Wendy." Dipper said, sounding a bit sad. "It's nothing."

"Doesn't sound like nothing." Wendy said. "C'mon, Diphead, we've never had secrets before. What's goin' on with you?"

"Well, it's...it's about my, uh, crush on you." Dipper stuttered. At his nervous tone, Wendy resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"We already talked about that, remember?" Wendy said, giving him the same look she'd given him during their talk a few weeks ago.

"I know, I know." Dipper sighed, clearly embarrassed of himself. "Look, I spent the rest of the summer after that telling myself it wouldn't work. I mean, I even used that road-trip Stan took us on to try to meet other girls."

Wendy gave a small laugh, trying to imagine shy, awkward Dipper trying to flirt with a bunch of random girls on the road. "How'd _that_ go?"

"It was fun at first, but than all the girls found out and I got in trouble." Dipper grinned and scratched the back of his head nervously. "It almost cost me Candy's friendship, too."

"Candy?" Wendy asked.

"Long story." Dipper said. "Anyway, uh, I think I finally got over you back there."

"So what's the problem?" Wendy asked.

"Well, back in the bubble, there was this fake you." Dipper explained. Wendy raised an intrigued eyebrow at him. "She said that if I were older, I'd be your...well, _her_ dream guy."

"Hm." Wendy hummed and let herself lay on the bed. "Maybe."

Dipper's heart leaped into his throat. "W-what?"

"Calm down, Casanova." Wendy said. "I'm just saying...it's not like I've never thought about it. You're one of the smartest, sweetest, most determined guys I know. You'd probably make a great boyfriend, but...I just don't feel that way about you. Maybe that'll change someday, maybe not, but in the meantime, you're still a pretty awesome friend."

"Yeah." Dipper groaned. "Thanks though."

"Anytime." Wendy smiled. "Besides, why would you keep chasing me when there's someone else right under your nose?"

"What?" Dipper's eyes widened. Oops. "W-well, who is she? What do I say to her?"

"I don't think she'd like it if I told you." Wendy told him, giving him a teasing look. "That's for you to find out."

"But there's a living, breathing girl who likes me!" Dipper said. "This might never happen again!"

"Hey, Dipstick," Wendy said, now looking annoyed at him. "Did you just forget what I told you, like, five seconds ago? Smart, sweet and determined? Make a great boyfriend? Dipper, all you need to do is drop the shy guy act and wash your cloths every once in a while, and the girls would probably swarm all over you. And I promise, whoever does get you's gonna be a very lucky girl."

"O-okay. Start...washing cloths, that's a good start." Dipper said, now a bit red. He'd only half listened to her rant, part of his mind still racing about who was the girl who actually had feelings for him.

Wendy smiled and pulled him into a one-armed hug. "Atta boy."

* * *

As I said, the friendship between Dipper and Wendy is super sweet, but the talk they had about Dipper's crush on her felt a little incomplete. I think this is how things would go if he did tell her about the fake her. Review.


	12. Punches and Blackmail

**Chapter Twelve: Punches and Blackmail**

"You boy!" Dipper didn't get to turn around before a hand grabbed him by the shirt and lifted him up. Preston Northwest, having returned to normal with the end of Weird-mageddon, was now holding Dipper at eye level and glaring dangerously at him. Well, it would have been a dangerous look to a boy who hadn't been through so much already. Dipper simply returned a look of tiered aggravation. "I should have known that nonsense had to do with you!"

Dipper would have defended himself, but the last run-in he'd had with this man had taught him it would be a waste of breath to try to reason with him. Frankly, he wasn't sure weather to be impressed with Pacifica for managing to deal with him, or feel bad for her for it.

Preston looked behind him when he felt a tapping on his shoulder, coming face-to-face with a very angry Stan Pines.

"Get away from my nephew." Stan said, strangely calm as he punched Preston in the face. When the man's fist opened, Dipper hopped to the ground, mostly unscathed.

"Thanks, Grunkle Stan, love ya!" Dipper called as he ran over to the girls. Stan gave the kid a small smile as he watched him leave before looking back Mr. Northwest.

"Well," Preston said, his eyes narrowed and trained on Stan. "now I see where he gets it."

"Hey, your kid's not exactly my favorite person, but I'm not gonna tell Dipper and Mabel not to hang out with her; she's their friend. And ya know what else I'm thinking, Northwest. You might not like it, but those kids are a pretty good influence on her." Stan said, turning away, but pausing to continue. "Oh, and if you ever touch any of my family again, you'll bet getting a lot more than a punch in the face. I'm pretty sure Dipper's dug up some good dirt on your family by now. Kid's a natural at poking his nose where it doesn't belong."

Preston looked at them, no one noticing his presence, everyone too absorbed in whatever they were doing. His face started going red with anger as he noticed what Pacifica had in her lap. He had told her to get rid of that chicken! Yet there the thing was, alive and still in his daughter's custody. If he discovered that that little beast had been in his house...And Pacifica was holding the thing barehanded and even petting it! And dressed in that Pines girl's cloths; a no-doubt disgustingly cheap skirt and a hideous sweater – how many times had he warned her against taking handouts? - with her hair was an absolute mess.

Perhaps the most infuriating, though, was how Pacifica didn't seem to care. She just kept talking and laughing with those little brats, not seeming to care about looking like a commoner. Everything had started with that – that boy. He looked at them in particular, deciding that his daughter was entirely too enamored with that Pines boy.

Rebellion? Disrespect? Boys? Preston had thought this phase was supposed to come a bit later in a young girl's life. What was next, sneaking out at night, and just as she was reaching a certain age? If nothing else, should anything...unsavory happen to his daughter, he would know who to go after. Still, with that old fool's threat, and knowing that, yes, the boy did have a talent for coming across information he had no business knowing, his reputation hung in the balance. He'd have to be stealthy about it.

* * *

Sorry for the long wait guys, but I've been working double-time on my synopsises (synopsai?), query letters and such. I mean, once you get done with the actual book, everything else is like homework and I have ADD on top of that, so that's pretty fun. Anyway, Ladies and gents, the only possible merit to having Preston Northwest survive those whole ordeal. It's super short because it's only a moment, but the catharsis of it makes up for it, I hope. Also: Grunkle PUNCH! Sorry, I had to make the joke. Review.


	13. Reveals And Sacrifices

**Chapter Thirteen: Reveals and Sacrifices**

Yep, Stan thought; he was defiantly getting old if an argument over the phone actually tiered him out. The kids parents had been frantic to hear about everything that was going on and the three had gone back and forth on weather they should come up here immediately or if they should hold off until the kids' birthday. It was supposed to be a surprise for them, but with everything going on now...

"Gunkle Stan?" that was Mabel's voice. Stan looked over his shoulder, seeing Dipper and Mabel standing behind him. He peered at the clock on the wall, which was still running because of the unicorn hair around the shack. Huh. What an odd sentence. Anyway, the clock said it was nearing midnight.

"Shouldn't you both be in bed?" Stan asked them. Despite this, he didn't protest as they walked up and joined him on the couch.

"We couldn't sleep." Dipper said.

"Well, you need to. Big day tomorrow." Stan told him, noticing the way his nephew was eying him. "I'm fine."

"No you're not." Dipper said, more like he was stating a fact rather than answering a lie. Stan knew what started this. Shortly after Dipper's little speech, he had asked where Ford was. When Dipper told him, Stan just groaned loudly and rolled his eyes, as though having his brother stolen away from him was some kind of cosmic joke that was quickly wearing out it's welcome. "What aren't you telling us?"

"You always were a smart kid, Dipper." Stan chuckled and ruffled the kids hair. "There is one more thing I haven't told you. Your mom and pop know everything. When your dad was little, I was the fun uncle, and his folks used to send him over here for his summers, too, and when he met your mom, he brought her along for the ride. They know everything."

"And they still sent us up here?" Mabel asked, not sure what to think about this.

"Well, it's been the plan for a few years." Stan said. "They said you two needed this; Mabel needed to learn responsibility, and Dipper needed confidence. I've been giving them updates every night since you kids got here."

"So Mom and Dad know about –" Dipper started.

"Everything." Stan said. "The journals, Ford, they even know about my past. After that, I kinda didn't have a choice but to tell them. _That_ was a fun talk. But they're real proud of both of you. 'N so am I."

Stan pulled the kids in for rare hugs, but their smiles faded rather quickly as a heavy feeling fell over him and the kids picked up on it. "Dipper, Mabel, listen. If...if anything happens to me –"

"Don't say that!" Mabel pleaded, and Dipper frowned.

"Nothing's gonna happen!" he said.

"Kids, listen to me." Stan said in a tone that they'd never heard from him before. This was enough, it seemed, to make them sit and listen. "I was so disappointed when I finally got Ford back. I though we could get passed everything and be friends, like we did when we were kids." At this, Mabel took Dipper's hand, and he squeezed it reassuringly in response. "But he didn't want anything to do with me. He had to make me the bad guy in all of this, like he didn't want to be saved from his portal, and knowing him, maybe he didn't."

"Where's this going?" Dipper asked uneasily.

"Like I was saying," Stan said. "If something happens to me, just leave it. I don't want either of you driving yourselves crazy trying to get me back; just accept it and move on. I'm already old. It wouldn't be worth it."

"Okay, but" Dipper paused and fixed Stan with a look. "promise us nothing'll happen."

Stan looked away and sighed. "I can't promise that, Dipper. You know that."

Knowing this conversation was over, the kids continued clinging to him, as though what their uncle said was some kind of inevitability, and their clinging would them all together for a little while longer. There was silence for a while, which was comfortable despite the talk they'd just had. Not keen to think about this any longer, Stan searched his head for a new topic. He stared at the television, even if the thing wasn't on.

Stan thought back to the story they'd told him earlier about Bill and his fantasy bubble. He meant to tell the kids how proud he was of Dipper and how happy he was that, unlike himself and his brother, their niece and nephew did patch things up and become friends again, and now they seemed closer than ever. Indeed, for maybe a full hour after they'd arrived at the shack, those two refused to let go of each other's hands.

Before Stan even opened his mouth the speak, he felt a light pressure on either side of him. The kids, still with their arms around him, had fallen asleep. Stan couldn't help but smile.

"We'll go over it tomorrow morning." he whispered, standing up and beginning carry the kids to their beds.

* * *

How 'bout that trailer, huh? ^-^ Review.


	14. Somber Mornings

**Chapter Fourteen: Somber Mornings**

"GRUNKLE STAN!"

"DIPPER, GET BACK!"

A bright light blinded him and a pain spread over his body. He screamed, but he couldn't take his eyes off of Stan, who was glaring at him, telling him to stay put, as the light engulfed him. The familiar fez flying towards him was all he saw before the world went black.

Some time later, he awoke very slightly. Enough to register the voices around him, but not enough to open his eyes.

"Grunkle Ford, please! You-you have to save him! D-Dipper and me, we...We have to stay together!"

"Relax, Mabel. I've run all the tests I can think of and everything's normal. His brain functions and heartbeat are fine, nothing's broken, and I've already treated the injuries he does have. I promise he'll be fine. All we can do now is wait." Although he wanted nothing more than to somehow reassure his sister that he was safe, exhaustion overtook Dipper as he quietly slipped under again.

He moaned as he forced open his stinging eyes. He was in his room back at the shack. The window was open, letting in a crisp breeze and the whole place smelled of early morning. The first thing Dipper noticed aside from his surroundings, was that there was a numb aching throughout his body. When he turned his head to Mabel's bed, he was surprised. Mabel was in her bed, but she wasn't the only one; Soos was sleeping on a folding chair and Wendy was on Mabel's bed, her back slumped against a wall.

Dipper forced himself up, moaning from the pain, which seemed to lessen as he stretched in his bed. He couldn't help the yawning either, which woke Soos.

"Dipper!" he grinned, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "You're up."

"Hey, Soos." Dipper said, continuing to stretch his arms and trying to remember how they'd gotten here. Okay, there was weirdmageddon, which, judging by the peacefulness of this morning, was over. So Bill had been defeated. There was a light, and he was thrown back, and –

"Dipper!" Usually, it would just be Mabel's yell that would have brought Dipper back to reality, but this time he was practically swished to his bed as his sister pounced on him. She was also squeezing him so tightly that he had trouble breathing.

"Morning, Mabel." Dipper said, moving to loosen her arms.

"Calm down, Mabel, give him some air." Wendy said, lightly pulling her off of him. "You okay, Dipper?"

"Kinda sore, but I think I'm okay." Dipper said, noticing that the pain went away as he stretched. Whatever happened must have been rough on him. "How long was I out?"

"All day yesterday." Soos said.

"Mabel never left your side for a minute." Wendy said with that relaxed grin that let her look like her old self. Mabel did look a bit less perky than usual, with unkempt hair and trails of dried tears running down her face. Brother and sister smiled warmly at each other for a moment before Mabel hugged Dipper again, which he returned this time.

"Love you, bro-bro." Mabel smiled.

"Love you too, sis." Dipper answered. They slowly pulled away when the door opened, revealing Ford and McGucket.

"Dipper, yer awake." McGucket grinned. Dipper was happy to see that the old man seemed to be able to focus his eyes again. He must have been making progress.

"How're you feeling." Ford asked, giving the kids a small smile. He didn't have the look of seriousness and determination that he usually did. He looked...tiered and defeated.

"Fine." Dipper answered and looked around for a moment, noticing they were short one Grunkle. "Where's Stan?"

At the saddened and bewildered faces around him, coupled with his sudden memory of Stan being engulfed in light, Dipper felt a pit in his stomach. Soos and Mabel instantly looked like they were trying not to cry, McGucket took his hat off and looked melancholy, and Wendy and Ford were both now looking nervous. Dipper was beginning to dread the answer. "What's going on?"

"Dipper." Ford said, and he took a long, deep breath, as though he were trying to calm himself. "I...have something to tell you."

* * *

Because sometimes the build up alone is enough...Ya know, it just hit me: If Stan goes (Well, he kinda was already because Ford's, like, the worst brother ever, but I digress), that leaves the kids with nowhere to stay. I'm sure Ford would let them stay for the couple of days before they were already going home, but what about in the future? Does this mean that Dipper and Mabel wouldn't be dropping by for a few years afterwords? That's...kinda sad. I hope that doesn't happen. Oh, also, how do you guys like my novel-ish type of writing? Lemme know if you wanna see more of it. Review!


	15. A Little Talk

**Chapter Fifteen: A Little Talk**

'We are canceling the wierd-pocalypse!' Dipper had shouted. Pacifica could still see it clearly in her mind. That was a few hours ago. It was dark, and very quiet. And peaceful, she thought as she absently petted Jasmine, who snoozed contently in her lap.

Pacifica opened her eyes when she heard footsteps approaching. It was Dipper, who was holding a blanket. "Hey." she said softly.

"Hey." he returned shortly and sat down next to her, offering her the blanket. She took it silently, suddenly embarrassed of what she was wearing. It must have looked pathetic. If Dipper thought so, he kept his tongue, and she smiled at this. He was such a good friend. "Can't sleep either?"

"No." Pacifica sighed, wrapping the blanket around herself and she was quickly encased in warmth. It felt heavenly. "This month's been insane." she said, her eyes lingering on her sleeping chicken. From the corner of her eye, she could see Dipper give her a questioning look. "Those little ball people, a vengeful ghost, the truth about my family..." she paused as a blush crept onto her cheeks and she was glade it was dark. "You." she spoke quietly, and at the look he gave her, she was quick to add, "a-and Mabel."

"Yeah. We've had a busy month, too." Dipper said. "I mean, after your party alone, half the things Mabel and I thought we knew about Grunkle Stan turned out to be fake, we get a second Grunkle, and that started all this trouble between us."

This intrigued Pacifica; she'd never known the Pines twins to fight. She'd never even seen one of them toss so much a snippy look at the other. Dipper seemed too mature for that, and she sometimes questioned whether Mabel was even capable of possessing negative emotions. "Trouble?"

"Well, Stan and Ford are twins, and when they were our age, they say they were best friends. Always playing, doing stuff together, getting in and out of trouble together."

Pacifica scoffed playfully. "Sounds like you and Mabel, alright."

"But they...they don't seem to like each other anymore." Dipper said. "Always fighting or glaring at each other, never having a nice word to say, staying away from each other. Before this whole thing started, Ford talked about Stan like he was a burden. Like they never had a happy childhood. I knew Mabel was effected by it, I just didn't realize how much until Bill took her. I almost killed himself and my friends to get her back, and it was the worst four days of my life; I never want to be alone like that again."

"Well, you had your friends with you, didn't you? That girl and the guy with the weird teeth?" she asked.

"Friends...friends aren't the same as brothers and sisters." Dipper told her. "I've spent my whole life with Mabel; we were born together. When she was gone...I felt incomplete. Like a part of me was gone, too. I don't care how corny that sounds, it's true."

Serious story or not, Pacifica couldn't help but giggle at that last part. It really did sound corny. Despite himself, Dipper smirked at her. "Well, glad to see my pain amuses you."

"Sorry." Pacifica whispered as she calmed down.

"Well, when we did get her back, we didn't know where else to go, so we decided to go back to the shack, and you know the rest."

Pacifica hummed in understanding. "Bill did something to my dad's face almost as soon as he showed up. Dad tried to join him and I guess he didn't appreciate that. I haven't seen him since. Those bat things got my mom the next morning and I ran from them. Mr. Pines showed up in his car and shooed them away with a crowbar, and he brought me back here. Mabel's weird friends and the gnomes were already here."

Dipper couldn't say he was surprised or even felt bad about her father, though he sort of wished he could have seen that encounter. Pacifica's father was by far the most unlikable person Dipper had ever met, which was saying something, and Bill was...Bill! Oh the karma.

"So crazy." Pacifica continued. "This time last month, all that was on my mind was my hair, my money, and finding new ways to pester you guys." The kids shared a quiet laugh at this, but the somber mood was quick to return. "Now I'm living here, have no clue where my parents are, and the world's ending."

"So, uh..." Dipper started, keen on changing the subject in light of her mood. After a second or two of glancing around, he noticed the sleeping chicken on her lap. "What's with the chicken?"

"Oh, this is Jasmine." Pacifica said, looking back down at the bird. "I got her from one of your uncle's fares. Dad was so mad when I brought her home. Said she'd have to stay with the peacocks and quails, or else she'd be dinner. I had to hit that old crazy guy over the head with a stick when he tried to eat her, too."

"Ya know, I thought you didn't want to be seen here." Dipper said. "So how come you'd come here for some second-rate fair or dance party."

"Well, this place is surrounded by woods." Pacifica said. "During summer break, there's only so many places I can go where my parents can't ambush me, but they'd never set foot in these woods."

"How's that been? Not having our parents around?" Dipper asked.

Pacifica thought about it for a moment. It was a bit more complicated than she'd thought. "It's...weird. I mean, in some ways, it's horrible; I'm literally dressed in rags, I've been sleeping on the floor, and my newest friends are a mutated bear and that redheaded girl. But in others, it's really freeing. No waking up at six in the morning, no boring lessons on this or that, people actually listening to me. I always thought your uncle was kind of dumb, but..."

Dipper didn't seem offended at that. "Yeah, Stan's actually pretty cool."

"Well, all my life, I always thought Mr. Pines was some smelly, reclusive old guy living on the outskirts of the town. But all of this? Taking in all these refuges, even me; I know he doesn't like me much, but...half the time he treats me better than my own dad did. I mean, he doesn't even _have_ a hand-bell."

"I wouldn't take that personally." Dipper said, remembering his little detour in the mind-scape earlier in the summer. "I'm the guy's nephew and nine times out of ten, he doesn't seem to like me, either, but I just know that somewhere in his dusty old subconscious, he cares about me."

"Yeah. He was really worried about you guys." Pacifica said. She stifled a yawn, her tiredness finally catching up with her. Feeling suddenly bold, she decided to make this into a pretext for closeness and leaned on him.

Dipper's throat went dry at this and his cheeks turned pink. He glanced nervously at her, very aware of the contact. In an effort to calm himself down, Dipper began thinking of everything that had happened this summer. After a while, it seemed to work, if the fatigue brought on by the last five days finally catching up to him was any indication. He ended up falling asleep to the thought that before this summer, he would have never been able to take on ghosts, manotaurs, candy monsters and newly physical dream demons. This place was pretty cool, wasn't it?

They stayed like that, leaning on each other, not knowing how hectic tomorrow would be. Not knowing that what lay ahead would change everything. Not knowing that several passersby would be witnessing this throughout the night and snickering to themselves at the scene. So long as they got a decent amount of rest, what else really mattered?

* * *

I tried to keep it within the confines of canon with this one. I'm pretty certain that if there is ship tease of any kind, Dipifica or not, the most it'll probably get is a sprinkling here and there. Lets face it, there's more important stuff going on here, just like how there's so much more to like about this show than just the shipping. I am so excited!

On another note, with the date of the final episode finally closing in, I'll likely have one or two more chapters out before the 15th of February. Chances are pretty high the final chapter will be after the airing because I don't know. I always envisioned this as having seventeen chapters because the number seven is apparently exempt from my OCD-ish deal. Live 'n learn. Review!


	16. Pairs, Spares and Multi-bears

**Chapter Sixteen: Pairs, Spares and Multi-bears**

While taking in the blue sky, which was refreshing to her, Mabel vaguely noticed a handful of leaves on the trees that were streaked with orange and brown. Even in the past, she had dreaded the onset of autumn, if only because it meant the end of summer vacation. This year had been worse, with the threat of losing her brother. But he was going home with her. Dipper was adamant about it; he had apparently been lonely while she was in the bubble, and they were happy to be staying together. So they'd have to go their separate ways eventually; better to chose it at eighteen than be forced apart at twelve. Or seventeen for that matter.

A rustling caught her attention and she saw Gideon. Dipper had told her he'd had a change of heart, and she wanted to believe it. Pacifica and Robbie used to be bullies, but now they were her friends. She had Pacifica's email and though Robbie didn't give her his contact information, he had said she and Dipper were actually pretty cool. Not cool enough to hang out with him, of course, but still. She and Dipper were going home tomorrow; she didn't want to leave with bad blood against anyone.

"Hey." she called. Gideon perked up and ran to her, stopping a foot away from her. He didn't speak, but his expression seemed to sincerely beg for her forgiveness. She sighed her herself; this was gonna be painful. "You know what you did was wrong, right?" she asked. Gideon still didn't speak, but he glanced downwards, clearly in regret. And this wasn't manipulation. Mabel carried on. "And you know that this -" she gestured between them. "isn't gonna work. Right?" Still no words. He lowered his head as though he were a much younger child who'd been caught misbehaving. "I was gonna go watch some reruns of Ducktective. You wanna...come watch with me?" she offered. Gideon smiled at her and she lead him into the shack, trying to stay brave.

Soos, who was watching this from a distance along with Dipper and Wendy, didn't like this. "Uh, dudes? You sure it's okay to leave them alone like that?"

"After everything that happened this summer?" Dipper asked. "I'm sure Mabel can handle herself."

"And if not, we're right out here." Wendy smirked as the three started to the other side of the yard.

"Yeah." Dipper said, looking more at them than where he was going. "Besides, I don't think he's stupid enough to –"

He paused as he walked into something – or rather, someone. Brown eyes locked with blue, and Pacifica gently pushed him arms length away. The pair stayed quiet for a moment before their gazes broke apart and they desperately searched for other places to look. They both had deep blushes on their faces.

"H-hi." Pacifica said awkwardly, looking intently at the ground beside her. Her shoulders where hunched bashfully and her hands were locked behind her back.

"Hi." Dipper returned and felt immediately self-conscious when his voice cracked on the word. He was very grateful Mabel was not here to see this.

"C'mon, Soos." Wendy grinned, getting up behind Soos and bushing him away. "I wanna show you something over there."

"Over where?" Soos asked her as they headed for the woods.

"You'll see." Wendy returned, smirking as she glanced back at her adorably awkward little friends.

"So, um..." Pacifica started. "We're alive."

"Yeah." Dipper returned. "Turns out we made it out after...that."

"That's...the only reason it happened, right?" Pacifica asked, her emotions struggling between hope and fear. Honestly, she wasn't sure what to feel. "Because we...thought we were about to die."

"Yeah." Dipper answered eagerly, though he snapped his gaze away from her as soon as she looked back at him. "We were...w-we just got caught up in all the excitement."

"Right." she said, nodding.

"Right." he said a bit too quickly.

"So...going home tomorrow?" Pacifica asked, now fiddling with a lock of her hair. "You guys have my email, right?"

"Mabel's got it." Dipper said. "We'll message you when we get home."

"Great." she said.

Wendy smirked to herself, and it was a relief to her that Soos spotted something a short way into the woods, so she wouldn't have to make something up. That something turned out to be Multi-bear, up in a tree and pawing at a beehive. Soos and Wendy watched and could hear him muttering something that they couldn't make out. When the branch he was on gave out, they clinched their eyes shut, hearing a series of breaks before a loud thud.

The tree Multi-bear had fallen from now looked lopsided, with a full side of branches broken off. He seemed to be fine, though, muzzle-deep into the dislodged hive he now held in his paws. He payed the swarming bees no mind, though the extra heads snapped and chewed at the insects until the remaining bees finally left. Having apparently finished his meal, Multi-bear tossed the empty hive away, licking some honey off of his muzzle contently before he spotted the humans. He gave them a friendly smile. "Hello, friends."

"Dude, did that hurt?" Soos asked, referring to stings the bees had seemed to be giving.

"No, those stingers are too small to penetrate my fur." Multi-bear said, and sounded quite proud of it.

"Hey, where's Chutzpar?" Wendy asked. "You guys callin' off your rivalry?"

"I'm afraid it's not that simple." Malti-bear said, now looking sullen and rather tired. "The rivalry between the multi-bears and the manotaurs is a endless one. It's just nature, and nature cannot be changed."

"So, where'd he go?" Wendy asked again.

"I'd imagine he either returned to his cave or went looking for his friends." Multi-bear answered. "And yourselves?"

"I'm takin' a break from dating." Wendy said, stretching her arms over her head. "I don't see what the crime is with being single for a while."

"I meant what would you do." Multi-bear said.

"Oh. Well, summer's done." Wendy seemed sullen for a moment, but then perked up as she turned to Soos. "Hey, you think the schools are down because of all this? Like they got blown up or something?"

The three of them laughed at this. A breeze ran through Malti-bears fur, and he was happy to look up at the blue sky. So refreshing.

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Last chapter before the finale. The bit with Gideon has been under wraps for a while, now. I hope it was to satisfactory. As for what happened between Dipper and Pacifica, I'll leave that up to you guys. Is this really the first time I've taken time for Soos? Now I feel bad. Okay, your guys' call. The last chapter before or after the finale? Review!


	17. My Fifteen PredictionsHopes For

**Note:** The randomness...It feels incomplete. The final chapter here isn't a story fic, it's a list of speculations...Hey, when I say random, I mean random. And now, without further stalling...

 **Chapter Seventeen: My Fifteen Predictions/Hopes For "Take Back The Falls"**

 **1\. There will be many Disney Deaths.** A Disney Death is when the audience is lead to believe a character had died, only for them to show up alive, either immediately or later. A good example of this would be _'Into The Bunker'_ , in which the audience, along with Dipper, is briefly tricked into thinking Wendy had been killed. Hirsch has said that at least one character won't survive the season. This is their last chance to milk that cow, and there is no better time for a major character to get killed off than a finale. They'd have to be stupid not to take advantage of it.

 **2\. Stan will die.** From the beginning, Stan served two of purposes. First and foremost, he added to the mystery of the show with what was going on behind that vending machine, which has been old news for some time. Second as a caregiver to Dipper and Mable, which they don't need when they're already headed home in a couple of days. Also, Stan's possible death has been foreshadowed from the start and spotlighted recently, such as his three-fourths-life-crises in _The Stanchurian Candidate_.

 **3\. Ford will die.** Because everyone's going on about Stan dying, and Gravity Falls had always been known to have awesome twists. It would defiantly be the softer blow...I mean, Ford's a bit of a jerk, but that's about it.

 **4\. Dipper and Pacifica's ship tease will continue**...Well, why else would they sink Wendip so soundly in the last couple of episodes? Even so, I'm thinking it'll mostly be a one-sided thing on Pacifica's part; Dipper's too preoccupied with ending Bill's reign. The teasing itself will probably be limited to stolen glances and awkwardly aborted conversations. This may or may not be revolved post-climax, and it would be cute if Mabel or Wendy caught wind of her crush and either teased or encouraged her.

 **5\. Giant Gompers will return.** Because I really, really, _really_ wanna see giant Gompers again.

 **6\. Preston will turn out alive and normal, but _only_ if Stan lives. ** Because they'll both need to be alive if I'm gonna see what I've wanted to see since _Northwest Mansion Mystery_ ; Stan punching Preston in the face!

 **7\. The scene that plays over the end credits will be a fast-forward to the next summer.** Following a bus heading into Gravity Falls. Close up on one of the windows and we see now thirteen-year-old Dipper and Mabel, looking eager and excited for another amazing summer at Gravity Falls. We might or might not see slightly older versions of characters such as Robbie, Candy or Grenda.

 **8\. Alternatively...** It will be a scene in the woods near the Mystery Shack, in which we see a pair of familiar looking twelve-year-olds. A boy who resembles Dipper (perhaps with a different hair color or facial features) will be wearing the Pine Tree hat, and be referred to as Stan Pines. The girl, who's a carbon copy of Mabel (with or without a sweater or braces) playfully calls Stan "the world's dorkiest cousin" as he excitedly looks over a map.

 **9\. The townsfolk will turn their backs on the Northwests.** Apart from Pacifica, who had allowed them into their fancy-shmancy party those weeks ago, and is likely to be a key part in the defeat of Bill, thus proving her courage and loyalty to them. Preston's eagerness to join Bill and leave the town for dead will tick a lot of people off and they will no longer be disillusioned with these people. And then Stan will punch him! Sorry, but I really, really, really wanna see that. XD

 **10\. Pacifica will use her family's wealth to repair the town.** Perhaps she'd even convert a chunk of the mansion into a shelter in the meantime. Needless to say, her folks will _hate_ it, but that'll only make it funny for us. Pacifica vowed to fix her family name, and using her wealth to help the town in their time of need, purely out of good will rather than public image, would be a huge step in the right direction.

 **11\. Blendin will return.** Because Blendin is such an enjoyable character, all dorky and bumbly and what-not. It would be a huge letdown if running away from the battle was his outro for the series.

 **12\. We'll see some one-on-one interaction between Mabel and Pacifica.** It would be interesting to see these girls interact now that Pacifica is reformed. Would they be friendly? Still a bit Catty? Awkward? Teasing? Sarcastic? Playful? Red pill? Blue pill? Hehehe.

 **13\. It will be revealed (to everyone) that Stan is not the one responsible for breaking Ford's spinny thing.** It will be revealed to have been Blendin. He tampered with the thing and planted the chipbag in purpose. It turns out the whole ordeal with Stan getting tossed out of the house somehow effects the lives of either Shermy or his kid in such a way that the twins' parents would get together. Blendin's frame-up of Stan was a necessary evil to ensure the birth of Dipper and Mabel.

 **14\. Alternatively...** It was a time-hopping Dipper. Dipper, either current or at some point in the future (while still clearly Dipper), pursues a creature that tears open temporary rips in time and they hop through them. When they end up under the table, he ends up bumping his head hard on the bottom, messing with something internally. If Dipper does see this, he will fail to recognize what it is and deem it unimportant next to catching that creature.

 **15\. Ford will join Bill.** The new trailer for Take Back The Falls shows a surprisingly...sinister looking Ford in the center of a galaxy, along with Bill who seems to have gotten around the force field. The current theory flouting about is that Bill grants Ford knowledge and/or mastery of the universe in exchange for removing the force field around Gravity Falls. And why wouldn't he? Ford is shown to value knowledge above his supposed loved ones and honestly, what's one tiny little planet compared to all of creation? I never liked or trusted him anyway.

* * *

Yep, that's it. You guys like the ride? It was sorta wacky, wasn't it? Review!


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